Getting Ready for Indoor Seeds

It’s time to set up for the indoor seed operation!

I’ve amassed some grow lights and equipment over the years and generally start some seeds in March. In my old house the basement was very warm and I had great results. Here in Connecticut, the basement is much cooler, so my germination rates were lower last spring, and it took a much longer time for things to get going. This year I’m trying a 60-cell biodome, and more heat mats.

The basement discotheque🪩

The first order of business is organization. I do a seed inventory. What do I have? What do I want?

TIP: Date seed packets as soon as you get them. This will help in the coming years because some seeds are only viable for a certain amount of time.

Currently I store my seeds in photo boxes from Michael’s. I have more that I keep in cardboard boxes. All stay in the basement (dry, cool) until I’m ready to start.

I was a bit scattershot last year in starting seeds. I had some older ones I wanted to use and I don’t know my garden yet (soil, light, etc.) so I tried a little bit of everything. This year, I’m more deliberate. My raised beds will be for vegetables only, and all ornamentals will be in pots or in the ground.

My favorite seed company is Botanical Interests because of the seed quality, lovely packaging, and concise and helpful instructions about the seeds. But I use many others: Park Seeds, Annie’s Heirlooms, Seeds ‘n Such, West Coast Seeds (great selection), and a friend recently recommended Pinetree Garden Seeds out of Maine.

TIP: Organic seeds are available and this is something to consider if you plan to eat your plants. I’ve never tried the seeds from big box stores, but they’re probably fine in terms of germination. Seeds are inexpensive, however, and I try to shop small businesses whenever possible.

OK, so what do I need to start seeds indoors?

• Lights

I have 6 grow lights right now that each hold one tray of seeds. I have some fold-out tables in the basement, and some heavy duty power strips for all the cords. I jam them all together for extra warmth/light.

• Seed mix

Potting soil is not ideal for seed mix. It’s too heavy. You can make your own seed mix and I aspire to that eventually (we have a compost/bear problem) but for now I order several bags of it each spring. Coast of Maine organic is my preferred brand–and it’s organic because we do eat some of what I grow.

• Pots

You can use trays, but I like Cowpots. They compost naturally and you have less to do when transplanting and less disturbance to the roots. Cowpots are made of manure, but don’t smell. Other companies make versions of them but Cowpots are a family-owned business right here in Connecticut. Trivia: We considered buying a house next to the Cowpots farm at one point! Very pretty land.

• Labels/Sharpie

Label everything you do, especially at first. You think you’ll remember, but you might not! I’ve used plastic labels in the past, but humidity bled off my ink. So now I use large popsicle sticks. I ran out of those last year and used clothespins. You can get popsicle sticks at Michael’s or from a seed company. This year I ordered 1000 just to have them on hand, because I also use them for starting bulbs indoors.

• Watering apparatus

I use a turkey baster for the seedlings. I fill up a big bucket of water every morning, and baste each plant as needed. It’s important that seeds don’t dry out, but you also don’t want them to get moldy. Turkey basters allow me to water some and not others and to control the amount of water.

Good luck and happy growing!!!!!!!!! 💚